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BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


HOP-O’-MY-THUMB 


BEDTIME WONDER TALES 

BY 

CLIFTON JOHNSON 


Hop-o’-Mt-Thumb 

The Babes in the Wood 

The Brave Tin Soldier 

The Fox and the Little Red Hen 

Golden Hair and the Three Bears 

Cinderella 

Puss IN Boots 

Jack and the Beanstalk 

Little Red Riding-Hood 

The Story of Chicken-Licken 


Additional books will be added 
to this series from time to time. 




The wood-cutter^ s family goes to the forest 

{Page 14) 




BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


HOP-O’-MY-THUMB 

BY 

CLIFTON JOHNSON 


ILLUSTRATED BY 

HARRY L. SMITH 


NEW YORK 

THE MACAULAY COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


/ 



Copyright, 1919, 

By the MACAULAY COMPANY 


AU Rights Reserved 



01 


tr 23 I9!3 


Printed in the U. S. A. 


©CI.A529925 


INTEODUCTOEY NOTE 


Jhe books in this series of Bedtime Won- 
der Tales are made np of favorite stories 
from the folklore of all nations. Such 
stories are particularly enjoyed by children 
from four to twelve years of age. As here 
told they are free from the savagery, dis- 
tressing details, and excessive pathos which 
mar many of the tales in the form that they 
have come down to us from a barbaric past. 
But there has been no sacrifice of the sim- 
plicity and humor and sweetness that give 
them perennial charm. 

The sources of the stories in this volume 
are as follows : Page 11, England ; 34, 
Grimm; 39, Africa; 56, Norway; 60, Scot- 
land; 75, Greece; 81, Ireland; 89, Andersen; 
121, Japan. 



CONTENTS 


I Left in the Forest 11 

II Lost Again 17 

III At the Ogre’s Castle . . , \ . 23 

IV Escape and Pursuit 29 

V The Partners 34 

VI The Honey Tree 39 

VII Mr. Rabbit’s Tricks 44 

VIII The End of Mr. Lion 51 

IX Grandsire Bear 56 

X Rob and the Gnomes 60 

XI Too Much Help 67 

XII A Pea and a Princess 75 

XIII An Enchanter Beaten 81 

XIV The Tinder Box 89 

XV The Soldier in Town 97 

XVI The Wonderful Dogs 103 

XVII A Watchful Servant 112 

XVIII The Young Fisherman 121 



ILLUSTRATIONS 


The Wood-cutter’s Family Goes to the 

Forest Frontispiece 

See text page 14 

Mr. Rabbit Cooks Meat for Mr. Lion ... 52 

The Earth Gnome Pops up before Rob . . 68 

The Witch and the Soldier 90 


HOP-O’-MY-THUMB 


I 

LEFT IN THE FOREST 

There was once a wood-cutter and his wife 
who had seven children, and these children 
were all boys. None of them was large 
enough to do much toward earning a living, 
and their parents had to work very hard to 
get food and clothing for them. 

What made matters worse was that the 
youngest child was sickly and weak,. and he 
was so small that his father and mother 
called him Hop-o ’-my-Thumb. Yet the little 
weak boy was gifted with a great deal of 
sense, and though he never had much to say, 

he noticed all that went on around him. 

II 


12 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


The year that Hop-o’-my-Thmnb was 
five, and his oldest brother was twelve, the 
harvest failed. Only half as much corn 
and potatoes as usual were raised on account 
of lack of rain. So, as the weeks passed, the 
wood-cutter and his wife had more and more 
difficulty in supplying their large family 
with food. 

Finally their last penny had been spent, 
and there was only a single loaf of bread left 
in the house. 

They must starve as soon as this last loaf 
was eaten. 

That evening, after the children were all 
in bed, the father and mother sat by the fire 
thinking sadly of the dismal fate that await- 
ed the family. 

‘‘My dear wife,’’ the wood-cutter said at 
length, “a lingering death seems destined to 
be the fate of all of us. But I cannot bear 
to see our children die of hunger. There- 


LEFT IN THE FOEEST 13 

fore I am resolved to lose them tomorrow 
in the forest.” 

‘^That would be too dreadful,” the wife 
objected. 

‘^But they cannot be worse off than they 
are at home,” the wood-cutter continued; 
‘^and perhaps the fairies will take care of 
them. You and I will go very deep into the 
forest with the seven boys, and while they 
are busy tying up fagots we will slip away 
and leave them.” 

^‘No, no!” the wife exclaimed, could 
never do such a thing.” 

‘^But if we don’t do that,” the wood-cutter 
said, ‘‘they will die here before our eyes, cry- 
ing with hunger. ’ ’ 

He kept on arguing until his wife consent- 
ed to his plan, and then she went weeping 
to bed. 

The parents thought the children were all 
asleep while they talked. But Hop-o’-my- 


14 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


Thumb was wide awake. He heard what 
was said, and he never slept any that night 
for thinking of what he would do. 

Early in the morning he crept out of bed, 
ran to a brook near the house, and filled his 
pockets with tiny white pebbles. Then he 
went indoors. 

By and by the family ate half of the one 
loaf of bread, and started as usual for their 
day’s work in the forest. The father led 
the way, and Hop-o’-my-Thumb, who came 
along behind all the others, dropped the 
little white pebbles one by one from his 
pockets. 

They kept on into the very thickest, gloom- 
iest part of the woodland. There the father 
started chopping with his ax, and the 
mother and children picked up the brush 
and began to tie it into bundles. 

Thus they worked until late in the after- 
noon. Then the parents stole away, and as 


LEFT IN THE FOREST 15 

soon as they were out of their children’s 
sight they hurried back to their home. 

For a long time they sat silent in the lone- 
ly house. The sun went down, and it was 
getting dark when there came a rap at the 
door. Before they could respond, in walked 
a man who had been sent by the lord of the 
manor with a present of ten shillings and a 
haunch of venison. 

^‘Good day to you,” the man said. ‘‘My 
lord, the baron, is sorry for the distress of 
his people. He is going to help them, and 
those who have large families like you are 
to get the most.” 

The man had food and money to deliver 
to other suffering households, and he hur- 
ried on his way. 

When he had gone the wife exclaimed: 
“Oh! if only our children were here to eat 
of this nice venison. Let us go to the forest 
and find them.” 


16 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


^‘No,” the husband said sorrowfuly, 
would do no good to seek them now. If the 
fairies have not taken care of them, they 
must have been eaten by wolves before this 
time.” 

Then the mother wept and would not be 
comforted. ‘‘I want my children!” she 
wailed. 


II 


LOST AGAIN 

Bft the children had not been taken care of 
by fairies, and they had not been eaten by 
wolves. 

As soon as they discovered that they were 
alone, Peter, the oldest boy, began to call, 
^‘Father and mother, where are you?’’ 

No voice answered him, and then he and 
all the other little boys, except Hop-o’-my- 
Thumb, ran hither and thither shouting for 
their parents and crying. 

Hop-o’-my-Thumb waited until he could 
make himself heard. Then he said : ‘^Broth- 
ers, you need not be alarmed. Our father 
and mother have left us here, but I will lead 
you safely home.” 


17 


18 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 

Why did they leave us Peter asked. 

In reply, Hop-o’-my-Thumb told them 
what he had overheard, and how he had 
strewed the white pebbles to guide them 
back. He ended by sa 3 dng: ^‘Just follow 
me. It will soon be dark, and we must start 
at once.’’ 

He hurried along, keeping his eyes on the 
line of pebbles, and the others followed him. 
They reached home safely, but because their 
parents had abandoned them, they were 
afraid they would not be welcomed. So in- 
stead of going in, they huddled under a win- 
dow at the back of the house to listen. 

They heard the man come with the money 
and the venison, and after he had gone they 
heard their mother begin to cry. Then they 
ran around to the front of the house and in 
at the door, shouting, ^‘Here we are, 
mother!” 

She hugged them every one, and though 


LOST AGAIN 


19 


she continued to shed tears, they were tears 
of gladness and not of sorrow. The wood- 
cutter was no less rejoiced. He started a 
fire, and soon some slices of venison were 
broiling before the flames. When the meat 
was ready, the family sat down to the best 
supper they had eaten for a long time. 

Several weeks passed, and while the veni- 
son and the money lasted the wood-cutter 
got along very well. But the famine grew 
worse and worse, and finally the lord of the 
manor could not send his tenants any more 
supplies. 

Again there was nothing to eat in the 
wood-cutter’s home but a loaf of bread, and 
he concluded that his family must surely 
starve. He and his wife talked the matter 
over late one night, and decided to take the 
children into the forest and lose them a sec- 
ond time. 

They talked in whispers so that Hop-o’- 


20 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


my-Thumb should not know what they said, 
even if he chanced to be awake. He was not 
asleep any more than he had been the other 
time, and he had such keen ears that he 
heard what was said in spite of his parents’ 
precaution. 

He determined to get more pebbles in the 
morning, but when morning came, the par- 
ents kept a sharp watch of him, and would 
not let him go out of the house. 

This troubled him greatly at first. How- 
ever, the mother gave each of the boys a slice 
of dry bread for their breakfast, and Hop- 
o ’-my-Thumb said to himself, can use 
bread crumbs instead of pebbles.” 

So he put his slice of bread into his pocket. 
The wood-cutter and his family went deeper 
than ever into the forest this time, and Hop- 
o ’-my-Thumb followed behind the others and 
scattered bread crumbs all the way. 

They spent the day in working, as was 


LOST AGAIN 


21 


their custom, but toward evening the father 
proposed that the children should play a 
game of hide and seek. While they were 
playing, he and the mother hurried off and 
left them. 

When the children found that they had 
been deserted again, there was much bitter 
crying, but Hop-o’-my-Thumb said: ‘^Do 
not weep, my brothers. I will take you 
home.” 

They started, intending to follow the trail 
of bread crumbs, but the birds had eaten 
them all up. The children were very much 
distressed. 

^^Well,” Hop-o’-my-Thumb said, ^‘we 
must not waste time in tears. Come along, 
and we will see if we can find some shelter 
for the night.” 

Hop-o ’-my-Thumb led the way. Darkness 
came on, and the wind among the trees 
seemed to the children like the howling of 


22 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


wolves, so that every moment they thought 
they would be devoured. They hardly dared 
speak a word. 

Presently Hop-o’-my-Thumb climbed to 
the top of a tall tree to look about for some 
path out of the forest. He discovered no 
path, but far away a light was shining. 

<< There must be a house where that light 
is,” he said. 


Ill 


AT THE ogee’s CASTLE 

When Hop-o’-my-Thiimb climbed down to 
the ground from the tall tree, he conld not 
see the light, but he knew which direction 
to take. The little boys hastened along, and 
by and by came out of the forest. There they 
saw right before them a great castle with 
the light that Hop-o’-my-Thumb had seen 
shining through an open door. 

They went to the door, and looked in. A 
wrinkled old woman was busy at a fireplace 
roasting a whole sheep, and Hop-o’-my- 
Thumb rapped to attract her attention. 

She turned and looked at them. ‘‘What 
do you want?” she asked. 

“We are poor children who have lost our 

23 


24 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


way in the forest,” Hop-o’-my-Thumb said, 
‘‘and we beg you, for charity’s sake, to grant 
us a night’s lodging.” 

“Alas! my little darlings,” the woman 
sighed, “you do not know where you are 
come. This is the castle of an ogre who 
would like nothing better than to eat you. I 
am the cook here, and I know very well what 
he likes to eat.” 

“Then what can we do?” Hop-o’-my- 
Thumb asked. “If you refuse to give us 
shelter, the wild beasts will tear us to pieces 
in the forest.” 

“Perhaps I can hide you,” the woman 
said. “Come in, and I will do the best I 
can.” 

As soon as they entered the room, she shut 
the door, and the children sat down by the 
fire to warm themselves. They had not been 
there long when they heard heavy footsteps 
outside. 


AT THE OGRE’S CASTLE 25 

‘‘That is the ogre,” the old woman said 
in a whisper to the children. “Make haste, 
and crawl under the bed.” 

No sooner were they out of sight than the 
ogre walked in. “Is my supper ready?” he 
asked, and sat down at the table. 

The woman called in another servant, and 
the two of them lifted the sheep that was 
roasting before the fire onto a great pewter 
platter. 

Then they took up the platter and placed 
it before the ogre. The sheep was half raw, 
but he liked it that way. 

When he had finished eating, he began to 
sniff right and left. “I smell fresh meat!” 
he said. 

“It must be the calf I have skinned and 
hung in the pantry for your breakfast,” the 
cook told him. 

Then the ogre looked toward the fireplace 
and saw lying there a little shoe that one of 


26 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


the boys had taken off. He stamped over to 
the hearth and picked up the shoe. 

What is this he demanded in a terrible 
voice. 

<‘Why, that must be a shoe which belongs 
to your oldest daughter’s doll,” the cook 
said. 

At that moment, poor Peter, who hap- 
pened to have a bad cold, sneezed. 

‘‘Aha!” the ogre exclaimed, shaking his 
fist at the cook, “you have been deceiving 
me, and I would eat you, if you were not so 
old and tough.” 

He dragged the children from under the 
bed and never gave the least heed to their ap- 
peals for mercy. He would have eaten one 
or two of them that night, but the old woman 
said: “See how lean they are. They have 
been half starved. They will be much fatter 
if we feed them for a few days.” 

The ogre took up Hop-o’-my-Thumb and 


AT THE OGEE’S CASTLE 27 


pinched his arms. ‘^You are right,” he 
agreed. ‘^This child is nothing but bones.” 

Then the woman gave the boys a good sup- 
per. While they were eating, she said : ‘ ‘ I ’m 
afraid it’s little I can do to save you now 
that the ogre knows you are here. Even if 
you could get away from the castle, which 
is not likely, what hope is there for you ? 

‘‘The ogre has a pair of magic boots that 
he only needs to put on to be able to go seven 
leagues at a stride. The boots become large 
or small to fit the feet of whoever wears 
them. If I could get one of you boys out of 
the castle, I might give him the boots. Then 
he could escape. But what would become of 
the others? No, no, my poor lads, your 
chances of living aren’t worth that” — and 
she snapped her fingers. 

After supper the old woman put the boys 
to bed, and they were so tired that they fell 
asleep at once. They did not wake till morn- 


28 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


ing. AU that day Hop-o ’-my-Thmnb was on 
the watch for some chance to escape. He 
failed because the ogre’s daughters had been 
ordered by their father to keep the boys 
from straying. 

There were seven of the daughters. They 
had small gray eyes, and large mouths, and 
long sharp teeth. All of them were young 
and not very vicious yet; but they showed 
what they would be, for they had already be- 
gun to bite little boys. So you may be sure 
that their captives did not in the least en- 
joy their company. 


IV 


ESCAPE AND PURSIJIT 

When night came, and every one in the 
ogre’s castle had gone to bed, Hop-o’-my- 
Thumb lay awake until all the others were 
asleep. Then he roused his brothers, and 
whispered, ^^Wake up; we must be off.” 

They all dressed quickly and quietly, and 
he led the way out a back door into the gar- 
den. By climbing up some vines that grew 
on the wall there they got outside. They did 
not dare go far for fear of wolves. So they 
crept into a heap of straw that lay beside the 
wall and waited for daylight. 

Hop-o’-my-Thumb thought he could find 
the way home by keeping along the edge of 
the forest, and as soon as there was light 

29 


30 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


enough to enable them to see, they started 
for their home. 

The ogre was not an early riser, and he 
did not think of the boys until after he had 
eaten breakfast. He was very angry when 
they were not to be found. 

‘‘Quick!” he shouted to the old woman 
cook, “bring me my seven-league boots, that 
I may go and catch the little rascals.” 

With those boots he could go a great dis- 
tance at a single step, and he would have 
caught the fugitives in almost no time if he 
had known just where to look for them. As 
it was, he hunted in every direction. He 
strode from hill to hill, and he stepped over 
wide rivers as if they had been brooks. 

Late in the afternoon the boys had arrived 
within about a mile of home. They were hur- 
rying along a hillside, intent on joining their 
parents before sundown, when they saw the 
ogre coming in their direction. Luckily he 


ESCAPE AND PUESUIT 31 

had not seen them, and they scurried into a 
cave that chanced to be close by. 

The ogre had done so much racing about 
that he was tired, and no sooner did he come 
to the hillside where the children were than 
he lay down near the very cave in which they 
had taken refuge. Then he went to sleep 
and snored with a sound like thunder that 
frightened the little boys very much. 

‘‘Now, brothers,” Hop-o’-my-Thumb said, 
“run home as fast as you can. I intend to 
follow you a little later. But first I’m going 
to see if I can get the ogre’s boots.” 

When the other boys had gone, he crept up 
to where the ogre lay, and gently pulled off 
his boots. The boots were very large and 
heavy, but the moment Hop-o’-my-Thumb 
put his own feet into them they fitted him 
perfectly. 

The ogre had been partly awakened when 
his boots were pulled off, and now he sudden- 


32 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


ly opened his eyes and sat up. He saw what 
had happened, and roared with anger. 

Off went Hop-o’-my-Thumb, and the ogre 
jumped to his feet and gave chase. But he 
was no match for the speed of the little lad 
in the seven-league boots. 

Not far from where the giant had lain was 
a precipice, and Hop-o’-my-Thumb stepped 
off this cliff to an opposite hilltop. The ogre, 
who was rushing after him, forgot that he 
did not have the boots on and that he needed 
to be cautious. He never paused when he 
came to the brink of the cliff, and down he 
went with a crash that made the rocks echo 
near and far. So ended the life of the sav- 
age ogre. 

In his castle was a treasure room that had 
one little window to let in light. The old 
woman cook had told Hop-o’-my-Thumb of 
this window, and offered to let him out 
through it, but he did not accept her offer 


ESCAPE AND PUESUIT 33 

because the window was not large enough to 
allow his brothers to escape that way also. 

Now that the ogre was disposed of, Hop- 
o’-my-Thumb remembered the castle treas- 
ure room. ^‘Unless I can get some money 
to buy food with,” he said, ‘‘my father and 
mother and all the rest of us will starve. I 
must see what I can do.” 

So away he went, and the seven-league 
boots took him to the ogre’s castle in a twin- 
kling. There he slipped in at the little win- 
dow of the treasure room and loaded himself 
with all the gold he could carry. Then he 
went home. 

His father and mother were very happy 
to have their children all back, and with the 
money that Hop-o’-my-Thumb brought they 
got all the food they needed. Thus they were 
able to pass through the remainder of the 
famine period very comfortably. 


V 


THE PARTNEKS 

A CAT and a mouse once agreed to do their 
housekeeping together. ‘‘Now let us pre- 
pare for winter by laying in a supply of 
food,’’ the cat said. 

So they bought a pot of fat. “But where 
can we put this pot so it will be safe?” the 
little mouse asked. 

“I think the church would be the best 
place,” the cat said, “for nobody would ven- 
ture to steal there. We will hide the pot un- 
der the pulpit and not touch it till we are 
really in want.” 

So they hid the pot of fat in the church. 
But before long the cat began to have a great 
desire to taste it. “Little mouse,” she said 

34 


THE PARTNERS 


35 


one morning, baby has been born at the 
home of one of my cousins, and if you do not 
object to staying alone to look after the 
house, I will go to the christening this very 
day.” 

‘‘For goodness’ sake, go!” the mouse re- 
sponded, “and if you have anything nice to 
eat, think of me.” 

The cat left at once, but she did not go to 
any christening. No, she went straight to 
the church, crept to the pot of fat, and licked 
the top off. Then she strolled over the roofs 
of the town, and visited her friends. It was 
evening when she returned home. 

“Oh, here you are at last!” the mouse 
said. “You must have had a merry time.” 

“Yes, things went off very well,” the cat 
responded. 

“What name was given to the child?” the 
mouse asked. 

“Top-off,” the cat answered. 


36 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


‘ ‘ Top-off ! ’ ’ the mouse exclaimed. ^ ‘ What 
a singular name I Is it a common one in your 
family?” 

‘‘I see nothing wrong with it,” the cat re- 
torted. ‘‘Surely, it is no worse than Crumb- 
picker, as the last child among your rela- 
tives was called.” 

About a week later the cat was again 
seized with a longing to visit the pot of fat, 
and she said to the mouse: “You must 
oblige me once more by looking after the 
house alone. A child has arrived at the 
home of another of my cousins, and I am in- 
vited to be present at the christening to- 
day.” 

The kind little mouse was quite ready to 
oblige her partner, and the cat went to the 
church. There she ate from the pot of fat 
till it was half gone. When she got home 
the mouse inquired what the child had been 
named. 


THE PARTNEES 


37 


‘‘Half -gone,” the cat answered. 

“Half -gone!” the mouse repeated. “I 
never in my life before heard of so curious 
a name.” 

A few days more passed, and the cat said 
to the mouse: “I have just been invited to 
another christening. I hope you do not ob- 
ject to my going.” 

No, the mouse did not object. So the 
greedy cat marched off, and ate up the rest 
of the fat. She returned sleek and comfort- 
able in the evening, and reported that the 
name of the third child was “All-gone.” 

By and by winter came. No more food 
was to be picked up out of doors, and the 
mouse spoke to the cat about their pot of 
fat. “Let us go and fetch it,” she said. 

“Very well,” the cat agreed, and they 
went to the church. They found the pot, but 
it was empty. 

“Alas!” the mouse groaned, “now I un- 


38 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


derstand the meaning of those queer names. 
I see what sort of a partner I have had. In- 
stead of going to christenings, you have been 
eating our fat — ^first Top-off, then Half -gone, 
then ” 

‘ ‘ Stop ! ’ ’ the cat shouted. ‘ ‘ Another word 
and I’ll eat you too !” 

The mouse did not want to be eaten. So 
she raced out of the church, and never 
stopped till she was safe in her own hole. 
She did not go into partnership with any cat 
jafter that. 


VI 


THE HONEY TREE 

One day, as Mr. Eabbit was roaming in the 
forest searching for food, he glanced up 
through the boughs of a big tree and saw 
some bees going in and out of a knothole. 

‘^Well, well,” he said, ‘‘I’m in luck. 
There’s nothing I like better than honey, and 
I shall have a feast here. But this tree is on 
Mr. Lion’s land. I must be careful. Let 
me see — first I will go to town and ask some 
one to help me, for I can’t very well get the 
honey alone.” 

So he went to town and stopped at the 
home of his friend, Mr. Rat. He was cor- 
dially greeted, and went into the house and 
sat down. 


39 


40 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


have some honey in the forest, Mr. 
Rat, ’ ’ he said. ‘ ‘ W ould you like to come and 
help me eat it?’’ 

‘‘To be sure I would,” Mr. Rat replied. 

“We shall need a bundle of straw to smoke 
out the bees,” Mr. Rabbit said. 

“I have plenty of straw in my barn, and 
we will go and get some of it,” was Mr. Rat’s 
response. 

They got the straw, and off they went to 
the forest. When they arrived at Mr. Lion’s 
big honey tree, the rabbit pointed to the hole 
that the bees were going in and out of, and 
said, “Come on, we’ll climb up.” 

They scrambled up the tree trunk, taking 
the straw with them. Then they set some of 
the straw on fire, smoked out the bees, and 
began to eat the honey. They were enjoying 
their feast and chatting merrily, when who 
should appear at the foot of the tree but Mr. 
Lion? 


THE HONEY TREE 


41 


He looked up and saw them indistinctly 
through the leaves. ‘‘Ha!’’ he exclaimed, 
“some thieves are taking my honey.” Then 
he called out, “Who are you up there?” 

Mr. Rabbit whispered to his companion: 
“Don’t say anything. That old fellow is 
crazy.” 

After waiting in vain for an answer, Mr. 
Lion roared angrily: “Who are you, I say? 
Speak, I tell you!” 

Mr. Rat was so terrified by Mr. Lion’s 
voice and words that he blurted out, “It’s 
only us.” 

“See here,” the rabbit whispered to the 
rat, “we have quite a lot of straw left in the 
crotch of that limb near you. Wrap it 
round me, except a few wisps that you can 
use to tie it on. Then call to Mr. Lion to 
keep out of the way, and throw me down. 
No doubt that will scare him so he will scam- 
per off. As soon as he is beyond sight and 


42 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


hearing, we can ramble back to town at our 
leisure.” 

Mr. Rat did as his friend suggested. He 
wrapped him well in the straw, tied it in 
place with two or three wisps, and then 
called to the lion: ‘‘Stand back, I’m going 
to throw some straw down. Afterward, I’m 
coming down myself.” 

The lion stepped back out of the way, and 
down came the straw. But Mr. Lion was not 
scared. He sat looking up into the tree. 
That gave Mr. Rabbit the opportunity he 
wanted, and he crept out of the straw into 
some bushes. Then it did not take him long 
to run off to a safe distance. 

After the lion had waited a minute or two, 
gazing up into the tree, he roared: “You 
said you were coming down. Hurry, and do 
so!” 

The rat did not dare delay longer, and he 
descended. No sooner was he within reach 


THE HONEY TREE 43 

than Mr. Lion grabbed him, and asked, 
^‘Who was up there with you?” 

^‘It was Mr. Rabbit,” the rat replied. 
‘‘Didn’t you see him when I threw him 
down?” 

“No, I saw nothing but a bundle of 
straw,” the lion said. 

Then he ate the rat and looked around for 
the rabbit, but he did not find him. 


VII 

MR. rabbit’s tricks 

Three days after Mr. Eabbit escaped from 
Mr. Lion, he called on his friend, the tor- 
toise, and said, ‘‘Let us go and eat some 
honey.” 

“Whose honey is it?” Mr. Tortoise in- 
quired. 

“Mine,” the rabbit answered. 

“Oh! all right, then I’m with you,” Mr. 
Tortoise said, and away they went. 

When they arrived at the great honey tree, 
they climbed up and began to eat. But soon 
Mr. Lion appeared. “Who are you, up 
there?” he called. 

“Keep quiet,” Mr. Eabbit v/hispered to 
the tortoise. 


44 


MR. RABBIT’S TRICKS 


45 


Neither of them said anything, and again 
the lion shouted, ‘‘Who are you, up there?” 

Then the tortoise spoke to his companion, 
saying, “Mr. Rabbit, you told me this honey 
was yours, but I suspect that it belongs to 
Mr. Lion.” 

“Well, what if it does?” the rabbit re- 
torted. 

“I shall keep quiet no longer,” Mr. Tor- 
toise said. 

So he raised his voice, and shouted to Mr. 
Lion, “It’s us!” 

“Come down!” the lion ordered. 

“We’re coming right down,” the tortoise 
responded. 

Mr. Lion was quite sure that one of the 
two in the tree was the rabbit. He had been 
keeping an eye open for him since the day 
he gobbled up Mr. Rat. “I’ve got him this 
time,” he said. 

The rabbit could see no use of delaying. 


46 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


So he went down first, and the lion caught 
him. ‘‘Now I’ll eat you,” Mr. Lion said. 

“My meat is awfully tough,” the rabbit 
declared. “It would be more tender so you 
could chew it and enjoy it a great deal bet- 
ter if you were to take me by the tail, Mr. 
Lion, and bang me against the ground a few 
times.” 

“I can do that easily enough,” Mr. Lion 
said. 

But the rabbit did not have much of a tail 
for him to grasp with his big clumsy paws. 
So when he was swinging him through the 
air, the tail slipped from his claws, and the 
rabbit ran away. 

Mr. Lion was disappointed and angry. 
He turned toward the tree, and in a threat- 
ening voice ordered the rabbit’s companion 
to descend. 

The tortoise hastened to comply, and when 
he reached the ground the lion said: “I’m 


MR. RABBIT’S TRICKS 47 

going to eat you, but you’ve got a bard shell. 
How am I to get at your meat?” 

‘‘Oh! that’s easy,” Mr. Tortoise told him. 
“Just put me in the mud, and rub niy back 
with your paw until my shell comes off.” 

So Mr. Lion carried the tortoise to the 
borders of a stream, placed him in the mud, 
and began to rub his back, as he supposed. 
But there were some good-sized rounded 
stones in the mud, and Mr. Tortoise con- 
trived to slip away and leave Mr. Lion rub- 
bing one of those stones. 

Mr. Lion rubbed and rubbed until his paw 
was sore. Then he dug out the stone and saw 
that he had been outwitted. 

“I didn’t think that old tortoise would 
trick me, ’ ’ he grumbled. “ I ’ll get even with 
him some day. But it is the rabbit who 
troubles me most. I’ll settle accounts with 
him before I do anything else. I’m going to 
hunt that chap now until I catch him.” 


48 BEDTIME WONDEE TALES 


Without delay he set off on his search. 
He stopped the first person he met, and 
asked, ‘‘Where is Mr. Eabbit’s house?’’ 

“His house is on the top of that mountain 
yonder,” was the reply. 

So the lion climbed the mountain. At 
length he came to the rabbit’s house, which 
was a cave among the rocks, but he found 
no one at home. “Well,” he said, “I’ll hide 
inside, and when Mr. Eabbit and his wife 
return. I’ll eat them both.” 

He went in and made himself comfort- 
able, and late in the day along came Mr. and 
Mrs. Eabbit. Mr. Eabbit observed the lion’s 
footprints on the steep path, and he stopped 
and said to Mrs. Eabbit : “You go back, my 
dear. Mr. Lion has passed this way. I think 
he must be looking for me.” 

At his request, she left to go to the home 
of some friends and wait until all danger 
was past. Then he followed the lion’s foot- 


MR. RABBIT’S TRICKS 


49 


steps and presently saw that they entered 
his house. ‘‘Oh!” he said, “Mr. Lion is in- 
side, is he? I’ll have to let him know he 
can’t catch me that way.” 

So he retired a short distance and shout- 
ed : “ How do you do, house ? ’ ’ 

He waited a moment, and remarked loud- 
ly : “This is very strange. Every day, as I 
draw near to my house, I say, ‘How do you 
do, house?’ and the house always answers, 
‘How do you do ?’ There must be some one 
inside this afternoon.” 

The lion was waiting to seize Mr. Rabbit, 
and he was listening to every word. When 
he heard what the rabbit said he called out, 
“How do you do?” 

Mr. Rabbit began to laugh. “Oho! Mr. 
Lion,” he shouted, “so you’re inside there. 
I’ll bet you want to eat me. But first tell 
me where you ever heard of a house talk- 
ing?” 


50 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


The lion perceived that he had been fooled 
again, and he responded angrily, ‘‘You wait 
until I get hold of you!’’ 

“I think it’s you who’ll have to do the 
waiting!” the rabbit cried, and then he ran 
away. 


vin 


THE END OF MB. LION 

Mb. Lion followed Mr. Eabbit and did bis 
best to catcb him, but be bad not succeeded 
when darkness came and put an end to tbe 
cbase. He was on bis trail again tbe next 
day, and tbe day after that. Finally be got 
bold of bim among tbe mountain precipices. 

It happened that there was a big overhang- 
ing piece of rock just above where they were, 
and tbe rabbit pointed up to it. ‘‘See!” be 
exclaimed, “that stone is about to fall and 
crush us.” 

Mr. Lion looked up and saw tbe overhang- 
ing rock. He was much alarmed, and leaped 
to one side. But tbe rock did not fall. Mean- 
while the rabbit bad skipped away. 

51 


52 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


Another time the lion was going around a 
turn on a narrow path, and ran right into 
Mr. Rabbit. He grabbed him before he 
could escape, and the rabbit said : “Mr. Lion, 
I am tired of running away from you. So 
now I Avill go with you and be your servant. ” 

< ‘ V ery well, ’ ’ the lion responded. Then he 
took the rabbit home and set him to work. 

A few days afterward Mr. Lion killed a 
zebra, and he said to the rabbit, “Now, my 
servant, cook me a piece of this zebra that I 
ma}^ eat.” 

So the rabbit collected some dry wood and 
made a fire. Then he hung a piece of meat 
on a stick over the flames, and as soon as it 
was ready, he said, “Open your mouth, Mr. 
Lion, and taste.” 

He put the meat into the lion’s mouth, and 
the lion ate it. “That is very good,” Mr. 
Lion said. “Hurry and cook me some more.’* 

But this time the rabbit heated a stone in 













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THE END OP MR. LION 


53 


the fire till it was very hot. Afterward he 
took it up with two sticks, and said, ‘^Open 
your mouth, Mr. Lion.’’ 

The lion opened his mouth, and Mr. Rab- 
bit popped in the stone. The lion gulped 
it down, and it was so hot that it killed him. 
Mr. Rabbit then skinned Mr. Lion, and with 
the skin over his shoulder started for home. 
On the way he came to a hut where a hyena 
lived. He looked in and saw that the hyena 
was there asleep. 

^‘This skin is heavy,” Mr. Rabbit grum- 
bled, wiping the sweat from his forehead. 

won’t carry the thing any farther, but 
will stuff it with dry grass and prop it up at 
,the entrance of this hyena’s hut. Then I will 
hide and see what will happen.” 

He soon had the lion fixed to suit him, and 
by and by the hyena awoke and started to 
come out of the hut. To his great fright, he 
saw the lion standing before the entrance, 


54 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


and he dodged back. Again and again he 
peeked ont only to retire trembling to the 
farthest side of the hut. 

At last the rabbit heard him mumble: ‘‘I 
shall starve, if I stay in here. It would be 
better to try to rush past the lion and get 
away.’’ 

So out he dashed and was speeding away 
across the plain, when there came to his ears 
the sound of the rabbit laughing. Instant- 
ly he was convinced that a joke had been 
played on him, and back he came so quickly 
and unexpectedly that he succeeded in catch- 
ing Mr. Rabbit. 

He was very angry, and was about to eat 
his captive, when the rabbit said: ‘‘I am 
only a small mouthful. Spare me, and I will 
show you where a rhinoceros has just died.” 

WeU,” the hyena responded, ‘^go on, and 
I will foUow, but if you deceive me I will 
kill you.” 


THE END OF MR. LION 


55 


Then the rabbit went down to a river that 
was not far distant, and said: ‘‘The rhino- 
ceros fell in here this morning and was 
drowned. If you put your nose to the water, 
you will smell him.” 

The hyena put his nose to the water to 
smell and find out if the rhinoceros was 
really there. Unluckily a big crocodile lived 
just at that spot. He seized the hyena, 
dragged him into the river, and ate him — 
and that is all there is to this story. 


IX 


GRANDSIRE BEAR 

At dawn, one summer day, a bear came 
tramping over the bog with a fat pig on his 
shoulder. When he got to the far side of the 
bog he was accosted by a fox who was sit- 
ting on a wayside stone. 

‘^Good-day, grandsire,” the fox said. 
‘‘What is that you are carrying so care- 
fully?’’ 

“Pork,” Bruin replied. 

“Well, I have some dainty food too,” Rey- 
nard said. 

“What is it ?” the bear asked, laying down 
his burden. 

“The biggest wild bees’ comb I ever saw in 
my life,” Reynard declared. 

56 


GRANDSIEE BEAR 


57 


‘^Indeed, you don’t say so!” Bruin said, 
and licked his lips at thought of how good 
the honey would taste. ‘^Will you swap it 
for some of my pork?” he asked after medi- 
tating a few moments. 

^‘No, no,” Reynard responded. can’t 
do that.” 

But after some further talk the fox said : 
will let you take one sup out of my honey- 
comb if you can be quicker than I am in 
thinking of three trees and repeating their 
names. In case I am quicker than you are, 
you must let me take one bite of your pig.” 

‘‘I don’t risk much,” Bruin thought. 
^‘Even if the fox wins, he can’t get a great 
deal of the pig in one bite. But if I win, 
I’m very sure I can get all the honey in one 
sup.” 

Then he said to the fox: ‘‘Agreed; and 
now we’ll name the trees. Are you ready?” 

“All ready,” Reynard responded. 


58 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


‘‘Eir, tamarack, larch,’’ the bear growled. 
He was not angry, but his voice was always 
gruff, no matter how pleasant his mood. 

‘‘Ash, hemlock, willow,” Reynard cried. 

He did not finish quite as soon as the bear, 
but Bruin had named only two trees. 

“Larch and tamarack are different names 
for the same kind of tree,” the fox said. “So 
I’ve won,” and he pounced on the pig and 
took the heart out at one bite. 

“You’ve taken the very best part of my 
pork,” the bear snarled. He made a grab 
at the fox, caught hold of his tail, and held 
him fast. 

‘ ‘ Let me go, ’ ’ the fox begged. “ I ’ll make 
amends. You shall have a taste of my 
honey.” 

When Bruin heard that, he loosed the fox, 
and away went Reynard after the honey- 
comb. He soon returned and held it up to 
the bear, saying, “Here on this honeycomb 


GRANDSIEE BEAR 59 

lies a leaf, and under the leaf is a hole, and 
that hole you are to suck.’’ 

Bruin took the comb and put it up to his 
mouth, and the fox slipped the leaf off, 
leaped back a little distance, and began to 
laugh; for instead of a honeycomb he had 
handed the bear a hornet’s nest as big as a 
man’s head. 

It was full of hornets, and they swarmed 
angrily forth. They settled on the bear, and 
stung him about the eyes and ears and mouth 
and snout. His attention was so engaged in 
getting rid of them that he gave no thought 
to Reynard, and the tricky fox escaped with- 
out any punishment. 


X 


EOB AND THE GNOMES 

Eob Caegh. was a mason who went from 
town to town working at his trade. When he 
had done such jobs as he could find in one 
place he traveled to the next. 

Once, while he was on the road, he over- 
took two men who were going to the same 
town he was bound for. So they trudged 
along together. Noon came, and the three 
sat down in a wood, a little aside from the 
highway. They intended to rest themselves 
and eat some food they had brought with 
them. 

But hardly were they seated when they 
heard the hissing of a snake. They looked in 

the direction whence the sound came, and the 
60 


EOB AND THE GNOMES 61 


snake glided straight toward them. It was 
perfectly white in color, and fully four feet 
long. 

Rob’s companions were so terrified that 
they took to their heels, but he stood his 
ground. The snake lifted its head, opened 
its mouth, and threatingly ran out its forked 
tongue. 

‘‘Aha!” Rob exclaimed, “you would bite 
me and poison me with your venom, would 
you ? W ell, we ’ll see about that. ’ ’ 

Then he gave the snake a vigorous blow 
with his cane that laid the creature appar- 
ently dead at his feet. Now he called to his 
comrades, and they came and examined the 
curious snake. Afterward the three ate their 
lunch, and lay down for a nap. 

They slept about an hour, and when they 
woke they resumed their journey. The 
weather had become threatening, and Rob 
stopped at the next public house and engaged 


62 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 

lodging for the night, but the other two went 
on. 

In talking with the landlady, Rob told of 
killing the curious white snake. 

‘‘I would willingly give a half crown to see 
that white snake,” she declared. 

“Well,” Rob said, “half crowns are none 
too plenty with me. I will go after the snake 
and bring it to you.” 

Off he started and soon returned with it. 
He put it down on the kitchen hearth, and 
the landlady gave him the half crown. Then 
she looked closely at the snake and muttered, 
“Yes, it seems to be quite dead.” 

She went about her work, and by and by 
supper had been eaten, and bedtime came. 
“Our house is crowded,” the landlord said 
to Rob. “The best I can do is to give you a 
blanket and let you sleep in a corner of the 
kitchen on the floor.” 

“I might be worse off,” Rob thought, “for 


EOB AND THE GNOMES 63 


the night is cold and windy and I can hear 
rain falling on the roof.’’ 

He slept soundly until midnight, when he 
was aroused by a noise near at hand. He^ 
opened his eyes, and saw the landlady pat- 
ting the white snake and heard her mum- 
bling some words he could not catch. Evi- 
dently she was a witch. 

Greatly to Rob’s surprise, life returned to 
the snake, and it spoke to the woman, say- 
ing: ^‘You have done me a great service.. 
How can I reward you ? ’ ’ 

‘‘Bring me the magic holly berries I have 
long wanted,” the woman replied. 

“Very well,” the snake said. 

Then the woman opened the door, and the 
snake glided out. A half hour later Rob 
heard a rustling at the threshold. The snake 
had returned, and when the landlady went 
to the door Rob saw that the creature had a 
sprig of holly berries in its mouth. This the 


64 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


woman took, and the snake turned about and 
disappeared in the darkness. 

The landlady carried the berries to the 
fire, put them in a little pot of water, and 
set the pot over some coals. In a little while 
the berries were simmering, and they filled 
the room with a most delicate and delightful 
odor. 

After a time the landlady set the pot out 
at the edge of the hearth to cool. ‘‘That is 
the most wonderful drink in the world,’’ she 
said. ‘ ‘ It wiU be ready shortly. ’ ’ 

She stood looking down at it a few mo- 
ments. Then she remarked, “While I’m 
waiting, I may as well go to the pantry and 
slice the bacon for breakfast.” 

Away she went, and Rob Cargil rose on 
his elbow. “I wonder what sort of virtue 
there is in the stuff,” he thought. “Certain- 
ly, I never before have smelled anything so 
delicious. I believe I mil take a taste. A 


ROB AND THE GNOMES 65 

few drops less will not matter to the land-- 
lady.” 

So he tiptoed over to the hearth, drank a 
hasty mouthful and set back the pot. ^‘What- 
ever that is,” he said, as he returned to his 
blanket, “it beats anything that I ever tasted 
before in my life.” 

The landlady soon appeared, took up the 
pot, and began to drink. She removed the 
dish from her mouth with an exclamation of 
anger. “The goodness has gone from this 
magic potion!” she cried. “Somebody has 
drank before me!” 

She stepped over to where Rob Cargil lay 
pretending he was asleep, and looked at him 
suspiciously. Then she grabbed his shoul- 
der and shook him with all her might. “You 
villain!” she shouted, “you have been drink- 
ing my magic potion!” 

“I beg your pardon,” he said, getting on 
his feet and releasing himself from her 


66 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


fury. “I only took a few drops. I meant 
no harm.” 

‘ ‘ Out of the house with you ! ’ ’ she shrieked, 
reaching for her broomstick, and he slipped 
through the door without further delay. 


XI 


TOO MUCH HELP 

‘‘Foolish man!” Eob muttered as he stum- 
bled along the gloomy roadway. ‘ ‘ Here I am 
turned out into the rain and the darkness all 

for that one sweet mouthful. I wish ” 

He was interrupted by the sudden appear- 
ance in front of him of a strange little man, 
who seemed to have popped up out of the 
ground. Though short, the stranger was 
very powerfully built. In one hand he car- 
ried a heavy hammer, in the other an iron 
bar. 

“What do you wish?” the dwarf asked. 
‘ ‘ Tell me, and your wish shall be granted. ’ ’ 
“Who are you?” Eob inquired. 

“I am one of the earth gnomes,” the dwarf 

67 


68 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


replied. ^‘When you drank that potion of 
magic holly berries, one thousand of us be- 
came your servants. Henceforth you must 
keep us busy. Whatever you wish done we 
wiU do.’’ 

‘‘No doubt there is some joke in this,” Rob 
said. “I don’t believe a word of what you 
tell me. However, I’d just as soon let you 
know that the thing I particularly wish for 
just now is a comfortable house in which I 
can spend the rest of the night.” 

Immediately the gnome gave the earth a 
sharp rap with his hammer. In response, 
there swarmed up from the ground hundreds 
of other gnomes, who, to Rob’s great fright 
and consternation, whisked him away he 
knew not whither. 

He made up his mind that his last hour 
had come. But they soon stopped on a wild 
bluff beside the sea. Then his ears were 
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TOO MUCH HELP 


69 


and hammers and saws and other tools close 
about him. In five minutes or so a handsome 
house had been completed, and it was fur- 
nished and lighted. 

Now the gnome Rob had seen first came to 
him, and said: ‘^Your orders have been 
obeyed. Here is the house for which you 
wished, and you can take possession at once. 
What shall we do next?” 

^‘Oh! rest a while. Go on a vacation. I 
give you a holiday. You must be tired,” 
Rob said. 

^‘We need no rest,” the gnome told him. 
‘‘What we want is work, and you must find 
it for us.” 

The spot where they stood overlooked a 
broad bay, which, in the dim light, could be 
faintly seen reaching in from the sea. 

“Well,” Rob said, “if you must have 
work, there is that bay. Build a bridge 
across it. When the bridge is done, if I 


70 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


am still living at that time, come to me for 
more work.’’ 

The gnomes hastened away, and Rob 
thought he was rid of them forever. He 
laughed heartily to think of the impossible 
task he had set them. After taking a look 
through his new house he went to bed. 

When he rose the next morning and 
glanced out of his window toward the bay, 
he saw a great stone bridge stretching across 
the water nearly to the other shore. He was 
speechless with astonishment for some min- 
utes. Then he exclaimed, ‘‘Why, this won’t 
do ! Such a bridge will shut up the bay to 
all the shipping, and cause no end of trou- 
ble.” 

He opened the window in haste, leaned out, 
and shouted, “Hold on there!” 

His voice could not have been heard far 
by ordinary ears, but he had scarcely spoken 
when the old gnome with the iron bar and 


TOO MUCH HELP 


71 


hammer stood before him. am your ser- 
vant to do whatever you wish,” the gnome 
said. 

‘‘I didn’t realize that you fellows were 
such workers,” Rob explained, ‘^and I didn’t 
consider this bridge as carefully as I should 
have done. Don’t you see it’s going to spoil 
the bay? I’m afraid I shall have to ask you 
to pull the bridge to pieces.” 

^‘All right,” the gnome responded; ‘‘we 
will set about the task immediately.” 

He was turning to leave when Rob called 
to him saying: “Just wait a minute. This 
is a very nice house you have built, but, if 
you can do so, I wish you would supply me 
with a couple of servants and something to 
eat.” 

“Your wants shall be attended to,” the 
gnome said, making a low bow, and then he 
was gone. 

Soon afterward Rob left his chamber and 


72 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


went downstairs. There he found two ser- 
vants and plenty of food. Ever afterward 
he had everything he wanted with only the 
trouble of asking for it. 

But there was one drawback to his happi- 
ness. He had to keep the thousand gnomes 
busy. They demolished the bridge in less 
than half a day, and at once flocked to Rob 
clamorous for more work. 

He devised task after task until he was at 
his wits’ end for anything more with which 
to busy his gnome workmen. They were al- 
ways pestering him. No matter whether it 
was day or night, the moment they finished 
one job they came to him and could not be 
gotten rid of till he had given them another. 

Rob thought he could have endured them 
if they had desisted from disturbing him aft- 
er he had gone to bed. However, they were 
as likely to be banging and clattering about 
the house at midnight as any other time. 


TOO MUCH HELP 


73 


‘‘Come out here, Rob Cargil! Come out 
here, Rob Cargil!” they would shout. 
“Come out here and give us more work to 
do!” 

“Rest!” he said to them in dispair on one 
such occasion. ‘ ‘ For goodness ’ sake, do rest ! 
Go and sit down somewhere, and don’t come 
back here for a year.” 

But they would not agree to any such 
proposal. Finally he shook his fist at them 
angrily, and shouted, “Well, then, go and 
make me a rope from sea foam and sand that 
will reach from here to the moon!” 

The company of gnomes scurried away 
toward the sea, and Rob was never troubled 
by them afterward. When there was any- 
thing he wanted they would still come obedi- 
ent to his wish, yet after they had done the 
service for which he asked, they returned to 
their rope-making. He no longer had to 
think up work for them. Sometimes he saw 


74 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


on the beach what looked like attempts to 
produce the rope he had ordered, but the 
gnomes evidently never succeeded in finish- 
ing it. 


XII 


A PEA AND A PRINCESS 

Once upon a time there was a poor man 
named Penticles. As he was walking along 
the road one morning he found a pea, and he 
said to himself : ‘‘I will plant this pea. It 
wiU grow up and blossom, and the vine will 
soon hang full of pods. When the peas are 
ripe I will pick them. Instead of one pea, 
I shall then have many. But I will neither 
eat nor sell them. 

‘^No, I will save every one and plant them. 
They too will increase. Again I wiU plant 
all I pick, and I will keep on planting and 
harvesting. Thus, in time, I shall have 
enough peas to lade some great ships — ^per- 
haps even twelve ships of the royal fleet.” 

75 


76 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


With this thought in his head, he went and 
presented himself before the king, and asked 
him for twelve ships to carry cargoes to a 
foreign port. 

‘‘What is it you have to lade the ships 
with?” the king asked. 

“Peas,” the man replied, “peas all of my 
own raising.” 

He forgot that he had as yet only the one 
pea he had found by the roadside, and that 
many years must pass before he could pos- 
sibly have peas enough to fill twelve such 
great ships as those of the king. 

The king was a good deal impressed by the 
request Denticles had made. “This man 
must be very wealthy,” he thought. “The 
peas alone are worth a fortune; and what 
vast estates he must possess to raise so enor- 
mous a quantity!” 

The more he considered the young man’s 
words, the greater seemed his importance. 


A PEA AND A PRINCESS 77 


At length he addressed him, saying, ‘^Are 
you married?’^ 

‘^No,” Penticles replied. 

‘‘Would you like to marry?” the king 
asked. 

“Why, yes, if I could find the right sort of 
person for a wife,” Penticles answered. 

“I have a daughter whom I think worthy 
of you,” the king said. 

Penticles was afraid he would get himself 
into trouble, if he married the princess. But 
he did not like to refuse the king’s offer lest 
the king should be angry and not let him 
have the twelve ships. 

“ Oh ! ” the king said, “you hesitate. You 
can do as you please. Will you take my 
daughter or not ?” 

Penticles concluded he had better say, 
“Yes,” and see how things would turn out. 

After he had consented, the king ordered 
apartments made ready for him in the pal- 


78 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


ace. Then, in order to assure himself that the 
man was really rich, he directed a servant 
to put ragged sheets and a torn coverlet on 
the man’s bed. 

‘‘I want you to stay on watch all night,” 
the king said. ‘‘You must see whether the 
man sleeps or not. If he is used to such a 
bed he will sleep well, and I shall know that 
he is poor and has deceived me. But if he is 
wakeful, I shall know that he is rich and 
cannot sleep on rags because he has been 
accustomed to perfect bedclothes.” 

Presently bedtime came. Denticles re- 
tired to his chamber and got into the ragged 
bed. The next morning the servant told the 
king that the young man had been restless 
the whole night through, and he doubted if he 
slept at all. 

“Well,” the king said, “that looks as if he 
was as rich as I suppose him to be. Now, 
tonight make up the bed properly with the 


A PEA AND A PRINCESS 79 

best and most comfortable bedclothes in the 
palace. Then see what happens. ’ ’ 

The bed was prepared according to the 
king’s orders, and the servant watched as be- 
fore. 

In the morning he reported that Penticles 
had slept soundly the entire night. 

‘‘Very good!” the king exclaimed. “I 
thought from the first that he was all right, 
and I only wanted to make sure. We must 
begin preparations for the wedding at once.” 

The king w^as confident that he was act- 
ing with caution and wisdom, but his test 
had not been as certain as he believed it to be. 
The young man had taken the pea into bed 
with him, for it was his greatest treasure on 
which his future fortune and the lading of 
the twelve great ships depended. 

He was so anxious about the pea that he 
could not sleep the first night for fear it 
might get lost in the ragged bedclothes. The 


80 BEDTEVIE WONDER TALES 


second night he had no such fear, and there- 
fore slept soundly. 

However, as the king knew nothing of this, 
he was satisfied, and the wedding took place. 
Later, when Denticles explained to him 
wherein his wealth consisted, he was nclined 
to grumble, but what was done could not be 
undone, and he made the best of the matter. 
After all, this son-in-law, by pursuing the 
plan he had formed for increasing the peas, 
might have, in time, as many as he imagined 
he would have. 

So the king gave him land, and Denticles 
planted the pea. It grew and bore plenti- 
fully, and he raised more and more peas as 
the years passed. But I believe he never suc- 
ceeded in raising enough to fill twelve of the 
king’s great ships. 


XIII 


AN ENCHANTEE BEATEN 

It was the evening of the last day of October, 
long years ago. Conn, King of Ireland, with 
all his chiefs and mighty men had just sat 
down to supper at a long table in the great 
hall of the royal castle. 

But though a splendid feast was before 
them, and though a thousand wax candles 
shed their light through the hall, causing 
the vessels of gold, silver, and bronze to 
shine, none of the warriors seemed to care 
about eating and drinking. Every face was 
sad, and there was little conversation, and no 
music. 

The supper was about to begin when the 

voices of the doorkeepers were heard raised 
81 


82 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


in contention as if they would repel from 
the hall some one who wished to enter. 
There was a slight scuffle, and after that a 
strange youth came into the room. 

He was dressed in the skins of wild beasts, 
and was armed with a wonderful spear that 
was studded with golden nails, and had a 
blade that quivered like a tongue of fire. 
Though of huge stature, his face was that of 
a boy, smooth, ruddy, and handsome. 

He stood just inside the door, and said in a 
clear strong voice : ‘‘O Conn, King of Erin, 
I am Finn, a wanderer and hunter of the 
wilderness. I have come to claim hospital- 
ity of you on this eve of All Saints’ Day.” 

‘‘You are welcome, whoever you are,” the 
king responded. “Sit here, O noble youth, 
at my right hand.” 

An attendant took Finn’s spear and hung 
it on the wall where the weapons of the 
king’s men were hung. Then Finn sat down 


AN ENCHANTER BEATEN 83 


in the offered seat. Choice food and drink 
were set before him, of which he partook 
heartily. 

When he finished, he said to the king: 
u There is sorrow in this hall of festivity, and 
I would know the cause of it. Perhaps I can 
help you.’’ 

We have good reason for being gloomy,” 
Conn told him. ^ ^ A mighty enchanter dwells 
in the haunted northern mountains. Once 
every year at this season he comes hither 
and burns Tara, our royal city, by shooting 
balls of fire into it. We rebuild the city 
only to have it burned again.” 

‘‘But why do not your valiant young 
warriors drive him away or kill him?” Finn 
asked. 

“Alas!” Conn sighed, “all our valor is in 
vain against this enchanter. We post our- 
selves around Tara on all sides to defend 
the city, but he puts us to sleep by his magic, 


84 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


and then the place is at his mercy. For nine 
years he has destroyed Tara in that man- 
ner. This very midnight he will come again 
on his destroying raid, and all the women 
and children have been sent out of the city 
to keep them from perishing.’’ 

will do what I can to save Tara,” Finn 
declared. 

After that, all arose, took their weapons 
and went out to station themselves round 
the city, each bearing a flaming torch. Finn 
stood in front of the palace. In one hand 
he held his spear, and in the other a blue 
mantle, both of which he had received from 
a magician. The mantle could not be burned, 
and the spear was alive and had real fire in 
its blade. 

The light from the torches shone on the 
buildings of the royal city, and on the wind- 
ing river Boyne, which flowed past Tara on 
the north. Toward midnight there came 


AN ENCHANTER BEATEN 85 


from far away toward the haunted moun- 
tains the sound of a fairy tune played soft 
and low as if on a silver flute. 

Then the defending host shouted all to- 
gether, and clashed their swords against 
their shields in fierce defiance. Yet, in spite 
of anything they could do, the low delicious 
music began to steal into their souls. The 
roar of the host faded away as in a dream, 
and two-thirds iof the torches fell to the 
ground. 

Finn roused himself by bringing the point 
of his spear so close to his forehead that it 
burned him. Now the flute music was suc- 
ceeded by that of a stringed instrmnent, ex- 
ceedingly sweet, and Finn drew the spear- 
point closer to his forehead. 

His stout heart did not quail, even when he 
saw every torch fall, and observed only one 
of his companions still standing. That was 
the king, and he reeled and tottered, striving 


86 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


to keep on Ms feet. His efforts were in vain, 
and he too soon went down unconscious on 
the sward. 

Finn passed through the fallen men, and 
stood alone on the dark hillside. He heard 
the feet of the enchanter splashing through 
the Boyne, and saw his gigantic form ascend- 
ing the slopes of Tara. 

When the enchanter observed that all was 
silent, he laughed and discharged a red fire- 
ball at the city, but Finn caught it in his 
magic blue mantle. The enchanter dis- 
charged a second fire-ball, and a third, and 
Finn caught them both. 

It was plain to the enchanter that his pow- 
er over Tara was at an end, and he turned to 
fly. Slow had been his coming, but swifter 
than an eagle’s flight was his going, that he 
might get back to the protecting walls of his 
enchanted palace. 

Finn let fall the mantle and pursued him. 


AN ENCHANTER BEATEN 87 

However, he soon perceived that he could 
not overtake the fleet enchanter. Then he 
was aware that the magic spear struggled 
in his hand like a hound in a leash. ‘^Go, 
if you will,’’ he said, and cast it from 
him. 

It shot through the dark night hissing and 
screaming. Finn followed, and on the 
threshold of the palace in the haunted moun- 
tains found the enchanter dead. The spear 
had passed quite through his body and was 
nowhere to be found. 

Finn cut off the enchanter’s head, and car- 
ried it back to the great hall in the castle of 
the king. Then he went out and shouted to 
the sleeping host, which gradually awoke. 
The men rose, dazed at first, and looked 
about, amazed to find Tara still standing. 

When the captains came together, Finn 
said, have slain your enemy” ; and he con- 
vinced them of the fact by taking them to the 


88 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


king’s castle and showing them the enchant- 
er’s head. 

They were all greatly rejoiced and he was 
generously rewarded. He did many other 
brave deeds for the good of the country as 
the years passed, and at last he became king 
of Ireland. 


XIV 


THE TINDEE BOX 

A SOLDIER was marcliing along the highroad 
— right, left! right, left! On his back he had 
a knapsack, by his side was a sword. He had 
been to the wars and now was returning 
home. 

On the road he met an old witch, and a hor- 
rid-looking creature she was. ‘‘Good-even- 
ing, soldier,” she said. “What a bright 
sword you have, my fine fellow, and what a 
large knapsack ! I have good news for you. 
It is that you shall have as much money for 
your own as .you want.” 

“Thanks, old witch,” the soldier re- 
sponded, “but how am I to get it?” 

“Do you see yonder big tree?” the witch 

89 


90 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


said, pointing to a straight stalwart oak that 
stood by the wayside. ‘^It is quite hollow 
within. Small branches are plenty on the 
trunk so that you can easily climb up. Half 
way to the top you will find a hole large 
enough for you to creep through, and you 
must go down into the tree. I have a rope 
for you to tie around your waist so I can 
pull you up, when you want to return.” 

‘‘But what am I to do down in the tree?” 
the soldier asked. 

“You are to get money,” the witch re- 
plied. “As soon as you are at the bottom 
you will find yourself in a large hall. It will 
be quite light, for more than a hundred 
lamps are burning there. The hall has three 
doors. 

“Open the first one, and you will enter a 
room in which you will find a large chest in 
the middle of the fioor. A dog with eyes as 
large as teacups is sitting on the chest. But 






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9 


THE TINDER BOX 


91 


you needn’t be alarmed. I will let you take 
my blue checked apron with you. Spread it 
out on the floor. Then go briskly up to the 
dog, seize him, and set him down on the 
apron. Afterward you can open the chest 
and take out as much money as you please, 
but it is all copper money. 

‘‘If you like silver better, you have only 
to go into the next room. There you will find 
another chest on which sits a dog with eyes 
as big as saucers. But don’t be afraid of 
him. Lift him down onto my apron, and 
you can take as much money as you like. 

“If, however, you prefer gold to either 
copper or silver, go into the third room. You 
will find a chest there too, and on it a dog 
with eyes as large as dinner plates. But you 
need not fear him. Just set him down on 
my apron, and he will do you no harm. 
Then you can help yourself freely to the 
golden treasure in the chest.” 


92 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


^^XJpon my word!” ttie soldier exclaimed, 
‘ ‘ that ’s not a bad plan. But how much of the 
money am I to give you, old woman? IVe 
a notion that you want your full share of the 
plunder.” 

‘‘I’m not asking for a single penny,” the 
witch declared. ‘ ‘ The only thing I want you 
to bring me is an old tinder box which my 
grandmother left by mistake on a shelf in the 
third room, the last time she was down in the 
tree.” 

‘ ‘ W ell, then, ’ ’ the soldier responded, ‘ ‘ give 
me the rope to tie around my waist, and I’ll 
be gone.” 

“Here it is,” the witch said; “and here is 
my blue checked apron.” 

The soldier and the witch climbed the tree, 
and when he crawled down through the hole 
she remained on a branch outside with one 
end of the rope in her hands. In a little 
while, he had descended to a large hall which 


THE TINDER BOX 93 

was brightly lighted by more than a hundred 
lamps. 

He opened the first door. Ugh! There 
sat the dog with eyes as large as teacups, star- 
ing at him. ‘‘You are a pretty fellow,” the 
soldier said. 

Then he spread the witch’s apron on the 
floor and lifted the dog down on it. After 
that he filled his pockets with copper pennies 
from the chest, shut the lid, put the dog back 
into place, and passed on into the second 
apartment. 

In this room he found the dog with eyes as 
large as saucers. “You had better not look 
at me so hard,” the soldier said. “It will 
make your eyes weak.” And he set the dog 
down on the witch’s apron. 

When he raised the lid of the chest, and 
beheld the vast quantity of silver money it 
contained, he threw all his copper pennies 
away in disgust, and hastened to fill all his 


94 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


pockets and his knapsack as well with 
silver. 

Now he went into the third room. The dog 
there actually had eyes as large as dinner 
plates, and they kept rolling round and 
round in his head like wheels. ‘ ^ Good day to 
you,” the soldier said, and he lifted his cap 
respectfully, for he felt that such a monster 
of a dog was not to he dealt with lightly. 

He stood still for a minute or two gazing 
at the creature. Then he removed him to the 
witch’s apron on the floor, and opened the 
chest. 

Oh ! what a lot of gold there was in it. Yes, 
he would be satisfied now. He threw out all 
the silver money he had stuffed into his pock- 
ets and knapsack, and replaced it with gold. 
He even filled his hat and boots with gold — 
bright heavy gold ! Such a burden of wealth 
did he have that he could hardly walk. 

He banged the door of the room behind 


THE TINDER BOX 95 

him, and called up through the tree ; ‘‘Hello, 
old witch ! Pull me up. ’ ’ 

“Have you got the tinder box?’’ the witch 
asked. 

“Well, to be sure, I’d quite forgotten 
that!” the soldier shouted, “but I’ll soon 
fetch it.” 

Back he went and got it from the shelf in 
the third room. Then the witch drew him up, 
and presently he stood again in the road. 
But what a change in his condition! Now 
his pockets, boots, knapsack, and hat were 
stuffed full of gold pieces. The old witch 
reached for the tinder box he held in his 
hand. 

“Just tell me what you are going to do 
with it before I give it to you,” the soldier 
gaid. 

“That’s no concern of yours,” the witch 
retorted. “You’ve got your money. Pass 
me my tinder box this instant.” 


96 BEDTIME WONDEE TALES 


^^Take your choice,” the soldier said. 
^‘Either tell me what you want with the tin- 
der box, or go about your business.” 

won’t tell you!” the witch screamed. 


XV 


THE SOLDIER IIST TOWN 

The soldier thrust the tinder box into his 
pocket and walked off, leaving the witch 
shaking her fist at him and calling him ugly 
names. Presently he stopped and knotted 
all his money in the witch’s apron. Then 
he slung the apron across his back, and went 
straight to the nearest town. 

The town was large and fashionable, and 
the soldier walked into the very grandest 
hotel in the place, called for the best suite of 
rooms, and ordered the choicest and most ex- 
pensive kinds of food for his supper. He 
was now a rich man with plenty of gold to 
spend, and he proposed to enjoy himself to 
the utmost. 


97 


98 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


The servant who cleaned his boots could 
not help thinking that they were disgrace- 
fully shabby to belong to a gentleman who 
had taken such rooms and eaten such a sup- 
per. However, the next day the soldier pro- 
vided himself with new boots and with very 
fine clothes, besides. 

From the people at the hotel he learned 
about all the places of amusement in the 
town. They had much to say also concern- 
ing the king, and still more about his beauti- 
ful daughter. 

would rather like to see her,” the sol- 
dier remarked. 

‘^That’s impossible,” they said. ‘‘She 
dwells in a great copper palace surrounded 
by ever so many walls and towers. No man 
but the king goes to visit her there ; for it 
has been foretold that she will marry a com- 
mon soldier, and the king would not like that 
at all. He is going to prevent such a thing 


THE SOLDIER IN TOWN 99 


ever happening by keeping her secluded in 
the copper palace.” 

What they told the soldier only made his 
desire to see her keener, but as there ap- 
peared to be no way of realizing his wish, 
he turned his attention to other matters. He 
led a very merry life, went continually to 
the theater, and drove in the royal park. He 
gave money right and left, not only to the 
poor, but to all who asked him; for he knew 
by experience how miserable it was not to 
have a shilling in one’s pocket. 

He was always handsomely dressed, and 
he had a crowd of friends, who, one and all, 
declared he was a most capital fellow, and a 
real gentleman. That pleased our soldier 
uncommonly. 

But as he was giving and spending every 
day, and never received anything in return, 
his money began to fail him. At last he had 
so little left that he removed from the splen- 


100 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 

did hotel where he had lodged hitherto, and 
took refuge in a small chamber high up in an 
attic. 

There he brushed his own boots, and 
mended his own clothes, and none of his 
friends ever came to see him, because there 
were so many stairs to go up that climbing 
them was quite fatiguing. 

The evenings were very dark in the little 
garret, for the soldier could not afford to buy 
himself so much as a rushlight. After a time 
he remembered that there was a piece of a 
candle in the tinder box he had fetched out 
of the hollow tree. So he opened the box and 
found the bit of candle. 

Then he took up the steel and the flint 
stone that were in the box, and in order to 
get a light struck the flint a blow with the 
steel. There was a flash of sparks, and at 
the same instant the door of the attic was 
pushed open. A dog came in. He had eyes 


THE SOLDIER IN TOWN 101 


as large as teacups, and was the same dog 
the soldier had seen sitting on the chest of 
copper money in the cavern under the hollow 
tree. 

The dog stood before the soldier, and 
asked, ^‘What commands has my master for 
his slave?’’ 

‘‘Aha!” the soldier cried, “a fine sort of 
tinder box I possess, if it will provide me 
with whatever I want.” 

Then he said to the dog, “Fetch me some 
money at once.” 

The creature vanished, and lol in half a 
minute he was back holding in his mouth a 
large bag full of copper pennies. 

The soldier soon learned that by means 
of his tinder box he could call to his service 
any of the three dogs of the cavern he chose. 
If he struck the fiint only once the dog in the 
first room came. If he struck it twice, the 
dog that watched over the silver answered 


102 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


Ms summons. If lie struck it three times, the 
guardian of the golden treasure appeared. 

He presently bought himself a new suit 
of clothes and went back to the princely 
apartments he had occupied. Then all his 
friends remembered Mm, and loved him as 
much as ever. 


XVI 


THE WONDERFUL DOGS 

One evening it occurred to the soldier how 
ridiculous it was that no one was allowed to 
see the princess. By all accounts it appeared 
that she was very beautiful. But what was 
the good of that if she was always to be shut 
up in the copper palace with the many 
towers ? 

‘‘Is there no way for me to see herl’’ he 
asked himself. “Where is my tinder box?” 

He struck the flint, and before him stood 
the dog with eyes as large as teacups. 

“I acknowledge that it is rather late to 
send you on an errand,” the soldier said. 
“But I want very much to see the princess, 
even if only for one minute.” 

103 


104 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


The dog was out of the door instantly, and 
before the soldier had time to think of what 
he should say or do, the dog reappeared with 
the princess asleep on his back. So enchant- 
ingly beautiful was she that the soldier knelt 
down and kissed her hand. Then the dog 
carried her back to the palace. 

The next morning, while the princess was 
at breakfast with the king and queen, she 
mentioned that she had dreamed a strange 
dream during the past night. It was about a 
big dog that had carried her off on his back 
to a soldier who had kissed her hand. 

‘‘A pretty sort of a dream, indeed!” the 
queen exclaimed. 

Then it occurred to her that there might 
be more in the dream than appeared, and 
she insisted that one of the old ladies of the 
court should watch by the princess’s bedside 
on the following night to see if anything un- 
usual happened. 


THE WONDERFUL DOGS 105 


The next evening the soldier found him- 
self longing exceedingly to see the princess 
of the copper palace again. So he summoned 
the dog and ordered him to fetch her. 

The dog went to the palace, took the prin- 
cess on his back, and ran off as fast as he 
could. But the old lady who was watching 
by the princess’s bedside put on a pair of 
magic boots, and followed quite as quickly. 
Soon the dog reached the hotel where the 
soldier was lodging, and the old lady saw 
him bound in at a window. 

^^Now I know what to do,” she thought. 
Then she took a piece of chalk from her 
pocket and made a great white cross on the 
front door of the building, so that when day- 
light came she could be certain to find the 
place. 

Afterward she returned to the palace. 
There she found that the princess had al- 
ready been brought back, and she was free 


106 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


to go to bed. But the dog bad seen her 
chalk mark, and he took another piece of 
chalk and put crosses on every front door 
in that part of the town. 

Early in the morning, the king, the queen, 
the old court dame, and all the officers of the 
royal household set forth, every one of them 
curious to learn where the princess had 
been. 

‘‘Here is the place!” the king exclaimed 
as soon as he saw a street door with a cross 
chalked on it. 

The queen was looking at another marked 
door. “My dear, where are your eyes ?” she 
cried. “This is the house.” 

“But there is a cross on the door beyond, 
and the door across the street has one on it, 
also,” the others said. 

Indeed, they found crosses on so many 
doors that they were soon convinced their 
search was useless. What should they do 


THE WONDEEFUL DOGS 107 


next? The queen finally devised a plan. 
She was a very wise and prudent woman, 
good for something besides sitting in a state 
carriage and looking grand and condescend- 
ing. 

With her gold scissors she snipped a piece 
of silk into proper shape, and then made a 
nice little bag of it. This bag she filled with 
flour, and when the princess went to bed she 
tied it to her waist. Lastly she cut a small 
hole in the bag so the flour would gradually 
sift out all the time the princess was mov- 
ing. 

That night the dog came again, took the 
princess on his back, and ran away with her 
to the soldier. Oh, how the soldier loved her, 
and how he wished he were a prince that he 
anight have this beautiful princess for his 
wife! 

The dog did not notice that the flour 
strewed the whole of the way from the palace 


108 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


to the soldier’s window, and from there back 
to the palace. The next morning, by means 
of the streaks of flour, the king and queen 
easily discovered where their daughter had 
been taken ; and they had the soldier seized 
and cast into prison. 

How dark it was in the lonely cell where 
they shut him, and how wearisome ! What 
made matters still worse, the jailer kept com- 
ing to the door to remind him that tomorrow 
he was to be hanged. This piece of news was 
by no means agreeable, and he was unable to 
think of any way to escape. He would not 
have been so helpless if he had had his tinder 
box, but he had left it in his room at the 
hotel. 

When morning came, he looked through 
his narrow iron grating, and saw the people 
all hurrying out of the town to the place 
where he was to be hung. He could hear the 
drums beating, and presently he saw a com- 


THE WONDERFUL DOGS 109 


party of soldiers marching past in the same 
direction. 

Among the rest of the crowd, rushing by, 
was a shoemaker’s apprentice in his leather 
apron and slippers. He hustled on with such 
speed that one of his slippers flew off, and 
bounded against the iron grating of the sol- 
dier’s prison window. 

‘‘You need not hurry so, my boy,” the 
soldier called out to him. “They can’t do 
anything till I come. If you will oblige me 
by running to my lodgings and fetching me 
my tinder box. I’ll give you a shilling.” 

The boy liked the idea of earning a shill- 
ing, and away he raced after the tinder box. 
He returned soon, and gave it to the sol- 
dier. 

Outside the city a gallows had been erected, 
and round it were marshaled the soldiers 
with many thousands of people — ^men, wo- 
men and children. A space was reserved at 


110 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


the very front where the judges and coun- 
cilors sat, and behind them were the king and 
queen, each on a magnificent throne. 

The soldier mounted the gallows, but while 
the executioner was preparing to fit the rope 
round his neck, he took out his tinder box 
and struck the fiint. At once the dog with 
eyes as big as teacups stood before him. Then 
he struck two blows on the fiint, and that 
brought the dog with eyes as big as saucers. 
Next he struck three blows, and the dog with 
eyes as big as dinner plates promptly ap- 
peared. 

‘‘Now help me, my dogs!’’ the soldier 
cried. ‘ ‘ Don ’t let me be hanged ! ’ ’ 

Immediately, the three terrible dogs 
leaped on the judges and councilors, and 
threw some this way and some that. 

“You must not touch me !” the king said. 

But the dogs served him as they had the 
others, and he and the queen and the judges 


THE WONDERFUL DOGS 111 


and the councilors were all so frightened that 
they took to their heels and never stopped 
till they had left the kingdom. 

As soon as they were well out of the way, 
the people shouted with one voice, ^‘Good sol- 
dier, you shall be our king, and the beautiful 
princess shall be our queen!” 

So he was conducted to the royal carriage, 
and he went to get the princess, while the 
three dogs bounded to and fro in front of 
the horses. The princess was made queen, 
and she liked that much better than living a 
prisoner in the copper palace. The bridal 
festivities lasted for eight days, and the 
three wizard dogs sat at the banquet table 
staring about them with their great eyes. 


xvn 


A [WATCHFUL SERVANT 

There was once a prince who was going to 
visit his lady love, the only daughter of a 
neighboring king. He required the services 
of an attendant. So he sent for his barber, 
a very trustworthy and well-behaved man, 
though rather odd in some of his ways. 

The prince had the barber come to his pal- 
ace, and told him of his proposed journey. 
In conclusion he said: ‘‘Peter, I want you 
to go along to assist me. You can be sure 
that I will reward you handsomely, and you 
shall lack for nothing in the way of food. 
But you must don my livery, salute me re- 
spectfully, hold my stirrup when I mount, 

and do everything that is required of a ser- 
112 


A WATCHFUL SERVANT 113 


vant. Above all, you must not let me over- 
sleep myself while we are on the way to my 
lady’s palace, else we shall be late in arriv- 
ing there.” 

‘‘Sir,” the barber said, “I will stand on 
guard while you are sleeping, and when you 
are awake I will protect you from all harm. 
But I beg you not to be annoyed with me, if, 
in trying to be useful to you, I unwittingly 
cause you some annoyance.” 

“My dear Peter,” the prince responded, 
“say no more. Return to your shop, pack 
up whatever you need to carry on your jour- 
ney, and return here as soon as you can this 
evening. If I am in bed when you arrive, 
you will know it is because I must get up to- 
morrow morning at five o’clock. See to it 
that you do not let me sleep beyond that 
time.” 

Peter hurried home, packed up the things 
he wanted to take with him on the journey, 


114 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


and then proceeded to the principal tavern 
to bid his friends farewell. They all drank 
to his health, and he returned the compli- 
ment so often that at last the wine began 
to aif ect him. Then he concluded to bid his 
friends good-by and go to the palace of the 
prince. 

As he entered the courtyard, he remarked 
to himself, must wake his Highness at five 
o’clock.’’ 

He looked up toward the prince’s bed- 
room. Only a dim light was burning there, 
and it was evident that the prince had re- 
tired to rest. Peter paused, and said : 
‘‘Perhaps he may think I have forgotten all 
about his orders to rouse him at five o’clock. 
In that case he is doubtless lying awake, and 
his anxiety is not allowing him to get the 
sleep he ought to have.” 

So Peter seized a long slender cane, and 
used it to tap on the prince’s window. He 


A WATCHFUL SERVANT 115 


kept on tapping until the prince came and 
looked out. 

‘‘Who is there?” the prince shouted. 
‘ ‘ Who wants me ? ” 

“ It is I, ” Peter replied. ‘ ‘ I have not for- 
gotten your orders. Tomorrow morning I 
will wake your Highness at five.” 

“Very good,” the prince said, “but let me 
sleep a while, or I shall be tired when the 
morrow comes.” 

After the prince had disappeared Peter 
sat down on a bench in the courtyard and 
thought of various things, taking no note 
as to whether the time was passing quickly 
or slowly. 

Presently he heard a cock crow, and he 
imagined that the bird was heralding the 
day. Therefore he again seized the cane, 
and tapped loudly at his master’s window. 

The prince lifted up the sash, and called 
out : ‘ ‘ Who is there ? What do you want ? ’ ’ 


116 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


‘‘Sir, the cock has already crowed,’^ the 
barber informed him. “It must be time to 
rise.” 

‘ ‘ Time to rise ! ’ ’ the prince repeated sharp- 
ly. “You are mistaken. It is only half an 
hour since you woke me before.” 

He closed the window with a bang, and 
Peter, sadly troubled because he feared he 
had given offense to the prince, began to 
think over all that his mother had told him 
about the anger of princes, and how much 
it was to be dreaded. His thoughts so dis- 
turbed him that he resolved to be revenged 
on the cock which had caused him to need- 
lessly awaken his master. 

Without further delay, he proceeded to 
the poultry yard near by. There he found 
the offender and his numerous family of 
hens. But when he made a rush to grab the 
cock, all the fowls began cackling in alarm 
as if a fox had broken in. 


A WATCHFUL SERVANT 117 


The prince heard the noise, ran to the win- 
dow, and thrust out his head. ‘‘What is all 
that commotion about?” he demanded in a 
loud voice. 

‘ ‘ Sir, ’ ’ Peter said, ‘ ‘ I was trying to punish 
the cock which disturbed your rest a short 
time ago. I have got hold him now, and your 
Highness can go to sleep without further 
care. I will not forget to waken you at the 
proper time.” 

“Let the cock alone, and stay where you 
belong,” the prince ordered. “If you break 
my rest again before five o’clock, I shall cer- 
tainly punish you.” 

.So saying, he retired to his bed. 

“ Ah !” Peter sighed, “since the days when 
cocks crowed in the Holy Land, they have 
always brought sorrow into the world. The 
proper place for that cock who has been dis- 
turbing the peace of his Highness the prince 
here tonight is in the kettle over the fire, 


118 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


and that is where he would go if I had my; 
way.” 

Peter now began to feel very sleepy. For 
a time he walked up and down the yard to 
keep awake. Then he lay down on the 
ground, and was soon fast asleep. After a 
while he dreamed that a gigantic robber at- 
tacked him. In his terror he screamed so 
loudly that he not only woke the prince, but 
every one else in the palace and all the dogs 
in the neighborhood. 

The prince again rushed to the window, 
and arrived just in time to hear Peter yell : 
^ ^ Don ’t murder me ! I will give you all ! ” 

The prince ran down into the courtyard 
where he saw plainly that Peter was dream- 
ing. So irritated was he, that he bestowed 
on the sleeper a hearty kick that made him 
jump to his feet. 

The dazed Peter rubbed his eyes, and be- 
held the angry prince. He did not stay to 


A WATCHFUL SERVANT 119 


receive the censure he justly merited, but 
took to his heels, and ran home as fast as he 
could. 

When he got into bed, he began regretting 
that he had so hasaly left the service of 
the prince, who now would perhaps fail to 
start as early as he had planned. If the 
journey were delayed, his love affair might 
not prosper. 

So the barber got up, saying: ‘‘I cannot 
rest easy until I have put things to rights. 
The prince shall have a sharper spur than 
ever I could buckle on.” 

With this thought in mind, he went to the 
front door of the palace and wrote on it with 
chalk the following words, Peter, the bar- 
ber, has gone on before your Highness to 
court the princess himself.” 

The next morning the prince read the no- 
tice on the door as he was starting on his 
journey, and it made him so jealous that he 


120 BEDTIME WONDEE TALES 


covered the distance to his lady-love in half 
the time he would otherwise have taken. 

After that, Peter used to say, ‘‘A jealous 
man on horseback is first cousin to a fiash of 
lightning.’’ 


XVIII 


THE YOUNG FISHEKMAN 

Long, long ago there lived by the sea a young 
fisherman named Urashi. He was a kindly 
lad, and a clever fisherman. Neither wind 
nor weather ever kept him from his fishing. 
He did not know what it was to be afraid, 
and no one else in the village where he lived 
dared venture so far out to sea. 

The neighbors often shook their heads and 
said to his parents, ^Hf your son keeps on 
being so reckless, he will try his luck some 
day once too often, and the waves will swal- 
low him.’’ 

His father and mother told him what was 
said, but the village talk made no difference 
to him. 


121 


122 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


One bright beautiful morning, when he 
had gone out in his boat as usual, he baited 
his hook, dropped his line into the water, and 
sat down to wait for a bite. In a little while 
he caught something, but it was not a fish. 
It was a great tortoise. 

Urashi was delighted with his prize. He 
drew it into the boat and removed the hook. 
Then, to his astonishment, the tortoise began 
to speak. 

would gladly live a little longer,’’ it 
said. ^‘Be merciful and set me free. If you 
will let me go I will find a way to show my 
gratitude.” 

^‘Well, I can soon catch some fish,” Ura- 
shi thought, ^^and they will be just as good 
to eat as this tortoise — in fact, better. Why 
should I kill the poor thing and keep it from 
enjoying all the years it may yet have to 
live? No, nol I will not be so cruel.” 

Then he said to the tortoise, ^Wou can 


THE YOUNG FISHEEMAN 123 


have your freedom,” and he threw it bacK 
into the sea. 

Shortly afterward he lay down in his boat 
and fell asleep. While he slept there came 
up from beneath, the waves a beautiful girl. 
She got into the boat, and Urashi awoke. 

am the daughter of the sea-king,” she 
said, ^^and I live with my father in a splen- 
did palace beyond the waters. It was not a 
tortoise which you caught just now, and 
which you were so kind as to throw back into 
the water instead of killing. It was me. I 
had taken that form to make a journey 
through the water. Now I invite you to re- 
turn with me. You shall marry me, if you 
choose, and we will live happily together for 
a thousand years in the beautiful palace be- 
yond the deep blue sea.” 

Then Urashi took one oar, and the sea- 
king’s daughter took the other. They head- 
ed the boat straight out into the open ocean. 


124 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


and they rowed, and rowed, till, at last, they 
came to the palace where the sea-king lived 
and ruled over all the dragons and the tor- 
toises and the fishes. The palace walls were 
of coral, and the trees round about had 
emeralds for leaves and rubies for fruit; 
and everything was as beautiful as it could 
be. 

Urashi married the lovely princess, and 
they lived happily in the sea-king’s palace 
for a year. Then he said to her: ‘‘I enjoy 
being here with you very much, yet I would 
like to visit my home, and see my father and 
mother and brothers and sisters. Let me go 
to them, I pray you. I will return soon.” 

‘‘I don’t like to have you go,” she said. 
‘‘I am afraid something dreadful will hap- 
pen to you. However, if you cannot be con- 
tented otherwise, I give my permission.” 

shall be away only for a short time,” 
IJrashi told her. 


THE YOUNG FISHERMAN 125 


‘‘Go then,’’ the princess said; “and here 
is a magic box that you must carry along 
with you. Nothing can harm you as long as 
you have it in your possession, unless you 
open it. If you do that you never will be 
able to come back.” 

Urashi promised to take great care of the 
box, and not to open it on any account. Then 
he got into a boat and rowed away to his 
own country. 

But what had happened while he had been 
absent? Where had his father’s cottage 
gone? What had become of the village in 
which he used to live ? The mountains were 
there as before, but the trees on them had 
been cut off. The little brook that had run 
close by his father’s house was still run- 
ning, but there were no women washing 
clothes in it any more. Urashi wondered 
how everything could have changed so much 
in one short year. 


126 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


Two men chanced to come walking along 
the neighboring beach. XJrashi went to them 
and said: ^^Can you tell me where the cot- 
tage is that used to stand by the brook yon- 
der ? It belonged to a fisherman who had a 
son named Urashi.” 

‘‘Whatl’V the man exclaimed, ‘‘do you 
speak of Urashi? He was drowned nearly 
four liundred years ago, while he was out on 
the sea fishing. His parents and his broth- 
ers and sisters, and all the children and 
grandchildren of those brothers and sisters 
died long before our time. 

“Yes, Urashi was drowned. He went out 
in his boat to fish, and neither he nor his boat 
was seen afterward. It is an old, old story. 
How can you be so foolish as to ask after his 
father’s cottage ? That fell to pieces a great 
many years before any one now living can 
remember.” 

Then the thought flashed across Urashi ’s 


THE YOUNG FISHBEMAN 127 

mind that the sea-king’s palace beyond the 
ocean must be in fairyland, and that one day 
there was probably as long as a year in the 
human world. Therefore, in reality, he had 
been away hundreds of years. 

Of course, it was of no use for him to stay 
where he was any longer, now that all his 
friends were dead and buried, and even their 
homes gone. - So Urashi was in a great hurry 
to get back to his wife in the sea-king’s pal- 
ace. The lacing of his shoe was loose, and 
he put down the box the princess had given 
him while he stopped to tie the lacing. 

One of the men picked up the box, which 
was curiously carved and colored. Just as 
Urashi turned to get the box the man lifted 
the lid to look inside. No sooner was the lid 
up than a white cloud came forth and floated 
away over the sea. 

Urashi shouted to the cloud to stop and 
come back into the box, for he recollected 


128 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


at once how strictly the princess had com- 
manded that the box should not be opened. 
But the cloud floated on until it disappeared. 

He knew now that he never would be able 
to go again to the sea-king’s palace, and he 
rushed about and screamed with sorrow. But 
soon he could not run nor shout any more. 
His hair had grown as white as snow, his 
face had become wrinkled, and his back was 
bent like that of a very old man. Then his 
breath stopped, and he feU dead on the 
beach. If he had taken better care of the 
box, he might still be living with the prin- 
cess in the palace beyond the blue sea waves, 
where the trees have leaves of emerald, and 
rubies grow on them for fruit. 



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